Now I've done it! 7mm 08

[Daemo]

Shotgun after stripping, ironing and re-oiling

Hi Mick

Photo's attached, it needs the butt pad fitting but otherwise pretty much done, a few more coats of walnut oil after use will see it about right:

So......

1). Mask off any areas you want kept as they are - with masking tape.
2). Apply nitromorse to the woodwork as per instructions on the tin.
3). Use fine wire wool to remove the stripper and old varnish, repeat until happy - its just a case of wiping rather than scrubbing.
4). Give it a good rub with very fine wire wool to get to completely bare wood.
5). Pop a damp cloth over the woodwork and use a steam iron to raise the grain and therefore any dents or scratches - don't put the iron on to the wood without the cloth in place.
6). Use very fine wire wool to remove any "hairs" raised by the ironing.
7) Repeat 5 and 6 until you are happy.
8). Use your palms to rub in walnut oil on to the wood, the heat from your hands helps - follow the instructions on the oil but basically leave to dry and repeat until happy.

Job done.

Cheers

Daemon

 

[mickthebrick]

That's more like it! That looks a lot better now None of that nasty shiny varnish, cant stand the stuff.
I've just got back from my dads place up in Scotland and the police had left a message to say my variation was done, the only thing being that they'd added that I needed "mentoring" for a year, so no stalking alone!
I hope to pick my rifle up this week, if I get my FAC back in time that is

 

[Heym SR20]

That stocks looking good - have done several myself.

Couple of points

Don't be in rush to apply the next coat - oil needs to oxidise to harden off and this does take time. If you are in too much of a rush the previous coat never really hardens and it just takes longer. I tend to put on three / four coats with 24 hour intervals, and then leave it for a good week / ten days before the next.

After a number of coats you will find all the pores are fully filled and the oil starts to harden on the surface and gets kind of gummy. Knock this off with fine wire wool and then put on a couple more coats.

Get your self some very fine pumice powder - google has just brought up www.thepolishingshop.co.uk. £1.91 for 100gms. Mix a thin paste with some oil and then use this with a felt cloth or a duster and polish off all the gummed oil - you will then have a true London tye oil finish.

It will be a bit green for a few weeks, but keep polishing it with your hands, duster and occasionally add a finger tip of oil. The results will be wonderful.

Long term you will find this is a very tough finish. If the stock gets wet, wipe it dry and apply the occasional drop or two of oil. Sometimes if the are wet they do go a bit whitish - don't worry it dissappears once dry.

I have an old AYA Yeoman which I refinished 20 years ago and has been dragged over salt marshes for most of its life. No bluing left as such - barrels are a sort of old fashioned brown colour, checkering is worn but the stock finish is still good. I am sure a plastci stock would look as good after that level of abuse!

 

[Daemo]

Thanks

Thanks very much for the tips Heym, i'll follow your advice.

Kind Regards

Daemon

 

[Heym SR20]

I have also found that a good red oil gunstock oil is the best to use. I have a bottle I scrounged from a top gunsmith a few years ago which is really nice, alternatively the David Nickerson stuff is pretty good, albeit haven't used it myself. I think something Linseed oil based is the best way to go - certainly that is what has traditionally been used.

But saying that the old AYA was originally done in Walnut oil - made from crushed walnut shell and smelled of almonds - gave quite a good finish, but a little brown in colour as opposed to a nice reddish warm glow of linseed oil with alcanet root in it.

I have recently done some Kitchen worktops using DanOil and if I had a very purous pice of wood to finish I might well be tempted to uses a couple of coats as a first oil to block up the pores before goig onto linseed based oil.